Aerodynamic can end stacker



1967 w. w. MOJD EN ETAL 3,337,064

AERODYNAMIC CAN END STACKEF.

Original Filed June 23, 1964 2 SheetsSheet l Malina g- 22, 1967 w. W. MOJDEN ETAL 3,337,064

AERODYNAMIC CAN END STACKER Original Filed June 23, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN l/EN rows ZZ/alhee de/z Mzvmm JC/uuw United States Patent 13 Claims. (Cl. 214-7) This invention relates generally to can end handling apparatus and more particularly to handling mechanisms for conveying and stacking can ends of which the present application is a continuation of Ser. No. 377,364, filed June 23, 1964, now abandoned.

In the manufacture of can ends, modern operations commonly results in the manufacture of several hundred units per minute. The maximum operating speed of a can end making machine frequently is limited practically only by the speed of the means for stacking the produced ends. Where hand stacking operations are employed, manufacturing economics are severely curtailed since the speed of the manufacturing operation must be slowed to accommodate the speed at which the can ends are stacked. Magnetic stacking devices have been developed, but these are only suitable for ferrous and other magnetic, can end materials. Moreover, can ends have for many years been relatively fiat unbroken circular elements. At present, ends of oval conical and hemispherical configuration are common and ends with a center opening are often utilized. These designs further complicate the problem of end stacking.

' Therefore, an important object of the present invention is to provide a versatile mechanism for conveying and stacking numerous types of can ends.

A further object is to provide a can end manipulating device which is capable of handling either ferrous or non ferrous units.

7 Another object is to provide a can end handling mechanism which is suitable for usevwith flat, oval and hemispherical can ends and ends having a central hole.

Still another object is to provide a can end handling machine that is adapted to receive can ends at high speeds and to stack and convey a plurality of such can ends in. stacked relationship.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention, showing an aerodynamic can end handling mechanism, means for conveying can ends to the aero dynamic mechaism, and a cooperating stacking trough;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of the aerodynamic can end chamber of the handling mechanism of FIG. 1 showing in detail the means provided for conveying the can ends to the chamber;

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the receiving chamber;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, rear elevational view of the aerodynamic can end handling mechanism of FIG. 1, showing in detail the means provided for driving the can ends forwardly, a flexible drive coupling from the drive means of FIG. 4 being shown in exploded perspective in FIG. 4a;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, top plan view of the receiving ohamber showing the relationship of the ported openings and the drive means provided for propelling the can ends forwardly in stacked relationship;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, top plan view of the ported chamber showing in detail the drive means provided and showing its operation with respect to a hemispherical, centrally perforated can end; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, elevational view of the can end drive means of FIG. 5. Y

39 which is rotatable at Referring now in detail to the drawings, particularly to FIG. 1, a can end supply means 10' and a stacking trough 12 are shown in conjunction with an aerodynamic chamber or housing 14 which is supported by a hollow base 16. Stacking trough 12 is an elongated, horizontally disposed member of some substantial length, such as about eight to ten feet, and functions as a storage station for a stack of can ends. While the stacking trough 12 is shown as having a substantially circular cross section, the particular configuration of the stacking trough forms no part of the present invention and a trough of -shaped or V-shaped transverse section would perform satisfactorily. What is essential is that the trough supports a plurality of can ends in stacked relationship with the center of the can ends forming an elongated axis running in the same direction as the axis of the stacking trough.

Supply means 10 appears in greater detail in FIG. 2 where a horizontally disposed conveyor belt 18 is shown moving in the direction of the arrow, leading from a point of manufacture of can ends, not shown. Belt 18 delivers individual can ends 22 to a downwardly curving chute 20 which deposits the ends in a substantially vertical position at a point in line with the aerodynamic chamber 14. The chute 20 possesses side rails 24 which restrict the lateral movement of the can ends and guide the can ends so that they tend to fall vertically downwardly past an opening 32 in chamber 14.

Considering FIGS. 2 and 3, chamber 14 is a longitudinally extending tube having a generally cylindrical inner surface 28, chamber 14 being substantially coaxial with the axis of the stacked can ends 30 in the trough 12. The chamber 14 has a substantially circular receiving end 32 and a remote exit end 34 positioned adjacent a receiving end 36 of the stacking trough. A plurality of generally circular ports 38 perforate chamber 14 adjacent its receiving end, ports 38 being spaced apart circumferentially about a lower portion of the chamber. The ports 38 are air evacuation ports which open into the hollow base 16 to cooperate with air evacuation means.

The air evacuation means is adapted to draw an air stream of sufficient velocity and volume to snap or pull the can ends 22, which are sliding downwardly in chute 20 past the receiving end of chamber 14. The air evacuation means is shown in FIG. 1 to consist of a turbofan high speed. The turbofan 39 includes a plurality of fan blades 40 that are mounted on the periphery of a wheel 42.

In one specific embodiment, a turbofan having a motor operating at 3600 r.p.m. created an air stream of sufficient velocity and volume to snap a wide range of can ends of different diameters into the chamber 14. The rotating fan draws air from outside chamber 14 into its entrance end 32 and downwardly through ports 38 into the hollow support 16 and thence out a frontal opening 46 of support 16.

The stacking trough 12 is positioned with a forward end 48 lower than its receiving end 36, thus being angled forwardly and downwardly to urge can ends gravitationally forwardly. The air ports 38 in the chamber are spaced from the entrance end and extend circumferentially around the lower portion of the chamber, that is, the lower degrees of the chamber, such restriction of the ports to a lower portion of the chamber and the character of the air flow through the ports contributing to the forward movement of can ends in the chamber in a sub- To ensure positive forward movement of the can ends in the stacking trough, can end drive means include a pair of laterally spaced-apart generally upright gears 50.

These gears are mounted on vertically extending spacedapart shafts 52 which are rotated by a motor 54 through gear box 56. A vertical slot 56 is cut in the inner sides of the wall 58 of chamber 14 for receipt of the upright gears, gears 50 being counter rotated inwardly and forwardly as indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 3 and 4. The gears 50 have teeth 60 and are resiliently spring mounted transversely of the longitudinal axis of the chamber by means to be described hereinafter whereby to space the gears for grippingly engaging the edges of a can end within the chamber. The gears 50 act to move the can ends positively forwardly and out of the chamber into the trough 12.

The gears are rotated continuously with their teeth synchronized to receive a can end therebetween. The air movement within the chamber that is generated by the turbofan is sufficient to snap an end forwardly, that is to bring the outwardly projecting edge or rim 59 of a can end into meshing engagement with the rotating gear teeth as is shown in FIG. 7. The gears are formed advantageously of plastic or the like for greater resiliency and are preferably replaceable for substitution of larger gears as required for larger can ends or can ends of slightly different configuration. Thus, a slightly different gear with a different tooth configuration can be used to engage the outwardly projecting rim 59 in stacking a hemispherical article as shown in FIG. 6.

Drive deactuation means are provided whereby to permit the gears to move resiliently swingably outwardly from the axis of the chamber, that is, away from the edges of a can end within the chamber, in the event of a jamming of can ends within the chamber or a jamming or stoppage of forward movement of can ends in the stacking trough. With reference to FIG. 4, the drive deactuation means includes a flexible drive coupling 80, a removable stop block 68 which limits converging movement of the gear shafts, and a pair of spring loaded sliding blocks 66 which hold the shafts resiliently in position for gripping the opposite edges of a can end within the chamber.

A hollow tubing 62 is shown in FIG. 4 to be fixedly mounted on the front of the base 16 to extend horizon tally transverse the base with its longitudinal center 63 positioned directly below the axis of the cylindrical chamber 14. A pair of spaced vertical slots 64 extend through the tubing to pass the shafts 52 and limit movement of the shafts transversely inwardly and outwardly of the axis of the chamber. The blocks 66 are disposed within the tubing 62 on opposite sides of the center 63 for sliding movement therein toward and away from the center. Each of the blocks is generally cylindrical and complementary in shape to the inner surface of the tubing 62. A vertical slot 65 is formed in each of the sliding blocks 66, slots 65 receiving the shafts 52. A removable stop block 68 is disposed in the tubing between the two shafts and is of a predetermined length to set the inward limit of movement of the shafts 52 and therefore the gears 50. Different length blocks 68 are used with can ends of different diameter.

Two compression springs 70 are mounted in the tubing 62, each of thesesprings being positioned with an outer end 72 hearing against a removably mounted stop 74 and with an inner end 76 bearing against a block 66. Springs 70 thus resiliently urge the blocks 66 toward each other. The stop block 68 resists the pressure of the springs 70 and limits the movement of the shafts and gears inwardly toward the tubing center.

The shafts 52 do not extend into the gear box 56 but are interrupted by a flexible coupling 80 which accommodates lateral movement of the shafts. Jamming of can ends in the chamber 14 or in the stacking trough 12 creates a wedging action on the gears 50, forcing the gears outwardly, as permitted by the couplings 80. So spread, the gears 50 continue to rotate but without grippingly engaging the edges of can ends for movement of can ends into the trough. Each coupling 80 includes a three jaw upper coupling 82 mounted on the shaft 52, a three jaw lower coupling 84 mounted on a shaft 86 that is driven by motor 54, and a six-legged insert 88 formed for interfitting insertion between upper and lower couplings 82 and 84. The insert 88 is formed of a resilient material such as rubber or plastic and accommodates lateral movement of the rotating shafts 52. Thus, couplings 82 and 84 cooperate with the insert 88 to rotate the shafts 52 and gears 50 while permitting lateral movement of the shafts and gears outwardly from each other and from the edges of can ends jammed in the chamber 14. With reference to FIG. 2, a jam chute 89 is disposed at the lower end of chute 20 and extends rearwardly to a container, not

' shown, which receives can ends falling past the chamber entrance in the event of either a jam-up or a failure of the air evacuation means.

In operation, can ends, manufactured at high speed, are moved by supply means 10 to a point outside the chamber 14 adjacent its receiving end. With the turbofan 39 not operating, the can ends fall gravitationally downwardly past the receiving end of the chamber 14. However, when air is evacuated from the chamber 14 by the turbofan, the movement of air into the chamber 14 and downwardly through the ports 38 pneumatically draws individual can ends into the chamber and forwardly toward the exit end 34. Successive can ends are drawn into the chamber in the same manner and thus urge previous can ends forwardly out of the chamber and into the stacking trough 12. The can ends slide downwardly and forwardly in the trough gravitationally in stacked relationship. The air flow through the ported chamber also moves the can ends forwardly with sufircient force to snap them successively into engagement with the teeth of gears 50, and these gears propel each can end out of the chamber into the stacking trough 12. In the event that the stacking trough becomes completely filled with ends, as might occur upon failure to periodically remove a portion of the ends from the trough, can ends jam in the trough and in the chamber 14. A jam tends to spill can ends out of the trough 12, and to avoid such malfunctions, jam chute 89 permits can ends to slide toward the floor and into a collecting container.

Cooperatively, the gears 50 swing away from the chamber in the event of jamming in the trough and out of gripping engagement with the can ends. Once the jamming condition of the trough has been corrected, springs 70 urge the gears 50 back into gripping engagement with the edges of the can ends.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown, it should be understood, of course, that the invention is not limited thereto since many modifications will, no doubt occur to those skilled in the art. For example, the can ends could be conveyed to the evacuated chamber from a different direction. It is, therefore, contemplated to cover by the appended claims any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for handling and conveying can ends comprising: conveyor means arranged to supply a succession of individual can ends in edgewise alignment; pneumatic means connected to said conveyer means for repositioning said can ends in facewise alignment, said pneumatic means including a chamber having apertures; trough means connected to said pneumatic means to receive said can ends in stacked relationship; and drive means for advancing said can ends from said pneumatic means to said trough means, said drive means including spaced shafts, power means for rotating said shafts and gripping means on each of said shafts, said gripping means extending at least partly into said chamber through said apertures for drivably engaging can ends in said chamber.

2. Apparatus for handling and conveying can ends comprising: conveyor means arranged to supply a succession of individual can ends in edgewise alignment; pneumatic means connected to said conveyer means for repositioning said can ends in facewise alignment; trough means connected to said pneumatic means to receive said can ends in stacked relationship; and drive means for advancing said can ends from said pneumatic means to said trough means, said drive means including deactuation means for disengaging said drive means from the can ends in said pneumatic means.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said deactuation means includes flexible coupling means.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 which further comprises biasing means normally urging said gripping means into can end engaging relationship and resisting movement of said gripping means generally outwardly of said apertures.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said spaced shafts are connected to said power meansby resilient coupling means and biasing means normally urging said gripping means into can end engaging relationship.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said gripping means comprises a toothed wheel.

7. Apparatus for handling and conveying can ends comprising: conveyor means arranged to supply a succession of individual can ends in edgewise alignment; pneumatic means connected to said conveyer means for repositioning said can ends in facewise alignment, said pneumatic means including a chamber having an opening that faces said conveyer means and that is sized to admit a can end in facewise disposition and evacuation means acting to pull air through said chamber and exhaust the pulled air away from said chamber; trough means connected to said pneumatic means to receive said can ends in stacked relationship; and drive means for mechanically advancing said can ends from said chamber towards said trough means.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said drive means includes spaced shafts, power means for rotating said shafts and gripping means on each of said shafts, said gripping means extending at least partially into said chamber for drivably engaging can ends in said chamber.

9. Apparatus for handling and conveying can ends comprising: conveyor means arranged to supply a succession of individual can ends in edgewise alignment; pneumatic means connected to said conveyer means for repositioning said can ends in facewise alignment, said pneumatic means including a chamber having an opening that faces said conveyer means and that is sized to admit the can ends in facewise disposition and evacuation means acting to pull air through said chamber and exhaust the pulled air away from said chamber; trough means connected to said pneumatic means to receive said can ends in stacked relationship; and chute means aligned with said conveyer means adjacent said pneumatic means to receive can ends failing to respond to said pneumatic means.

10. Apparatus for handling and conveying can ends comprising: conveyor means arranged to supply a succession of individual can ends in edgewise alignment; pneumatic means connected to said conveyer means for repositioning said can ends in facewise alignment; trough means connected to said pneumatic means to receive said can ends instacked relationship; and a plurality of counter-rotating drive means associated with said pneumatic means for drivably engaging can ends in said pneumatic means to advance said can ends from said pneumatic means to said trough means.

11. Apparatus for handling and conveying can ends comprising: conveyor means arranged to supply a succession of individual can ends in edgewise alignment; pneumatic means connected to said conveyer means for repositioning said can ends in facewise alignment, said pneumatic means including a chamber having an opening that faces said conveyer means to admit a can end in facewise disposition and evacuation means acting to pull air through said chamber and exhaust the pulled air through radial ports in said chamber; trough means connected to said pneumatic means to receive said can ends in stacked relationship; and mechanical drive means for advancing said can ends, said drive means being located between said radial ports and said trough means.

12. Apparatus for handling and conveying a series of articles having a projecting rim portion, said apparatus comprising: conveyor means arranged to supply a succession of the articles with the rim portions of the articles in a substantially parallel relationship; pneumatic means connected to said conveyor means for repositioning said articles in facewise alignment, said pneumatic means including a chamber having an opening that faces said conveyor means to admit an article in facewise disposition and evacuation means acting to pull air through said chamber and exhaust the pulled air through radial ports in said chamber; trough means connected to said pneumatic means to receive the articles in stacked relationship; and mechanical drive means engaging the rim portions of the articles to advance the articles relative to said chamber, said drive means being located between said radial ports and said trough means.

13. Apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein: said mechanical drive means includes a pair of counter rotating drive elements located on opposite sides of said chamber, said counter rotating drive elements being positioned to resiliently engage opposite sides of the rim portion of articles while the articles are in said chamber to move the articles relative to said chamber.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 460,160 9/1891 Reilly 248-4 899,492 9/ 1908 Leonard 226-187 959,642 5/1910 Stoetzel 2484 1,971,574 8/1934 Moon 2147 2,345,310 3/1944 Willoughby 2147 2,347,639 4/1944 Platt 226-187 2,358,413 9/1944 Monaco 2147 2,725,992 12/1955' Wells 2147 3,164,269 1/1965 Roosevelt 214-6 GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Examiner.

I. E. OLDS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND CONVEYING CAN ENDS COMPRISING: CONVEYOR MEANS ARRANGED TO SUPPLY A SUCCESSION OF INDIVIDUAL CAN ENDS IN EDGEWISE ALIGNMENT; PNEUMATIC MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CONVEYER MEANS FOR REPOSITIONING SAID CAN ENDS IN FACEWISE ALIGNMENT, SAID PNEUMATIC MEANS INCLUDING A CHAMBER HAVING APERTURES; TROUGH MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID PNEUMATIC MEANS TO RECEIVE SAID CAN ENDS IN STACKED RELATIONSHIP; AND DRIVE MEANS FOR ADVANCING 